Sexy ponytails
by Pandracat
Summary: (Murasakibara Atsushi x Reader) One-shot! SPOILERS of second season, you have been warned!


A/N: Yo, guys! I've been on a roll lately, so I'll be posting the fanfics and I hope you like it! I tried to write this one as a genderless reader, and I think it's acceptable. About the hair fastener, uhm, even if you have short hair, let's pretend it's just a matter of style, alright? I rarely tie my hair too, but the pony is always there x] I guess that's all for now. Have fun!

 **( 0w0) /**

Last quarter of Yosen's match against Seirin with practically three minutes left, and the gap between the scores was of only four points. You nervously bit your lip, fiddling with your hands as time-out was declared; from the lazy position Atsushi assumed on the bench, you guessed he had given up on the game, seeing as the ace of Seirin's basketball team had entered the Zone.

"Don't give up, Atsushi-kun..."

You couldn't help but to mumble under your breath before a gasp escaped your lips: Himuro Tatsuya had just punched your boyfriend, tightly grabbing the front of his uniform whilst saying something you weren't able to hear, but his steel eyes showed anger. The anger faded to hurt, though, which in turn condensed in the form of tears as he nearly begged Murasakibara to come back to the game.

'Please, please, please, please...' The mantra repeated itself in your mind as you crossed your fingers, praying that the giant would return to the court and somehow manage to win the game. Yosen was so close to the finals, and you couldn't even bear the thought of them losing now.

The purple haired player stood up, and the moment their coach handed him a hair pony, (F/n) knew he was determined to do all he could to win, even after saying basketball was but a nuisance. The loud buzz announced the end of the time-out, and along with the audience, you cheered on for your school – mostly for Atsushi, but sadly your voice got lost in the middle of hundreds of others and never reached your boyfriend.

Well, you tried.

Both teams returned to the court, and your anxious (e/c) eyes never left the tall frame of Yosen's center player, slightly widening at the rare sight of the male with his hair tied. The stern look across his face added to the messy hair-style sent a pleasant shiver up your spine, and you briefly thanked the Heavens he didn't do that frequently.

If he did, you would have much more competition.

The fact he was usually a gentle giant was of common knowledge (unless there were no unhealthy treats for him to munch on), and you always thought the passive expression he carried was somewhat dorky, but oh my freckled Jesus. Murasakibara Atsushi reached a new level of hotness with that specific look.

You shook your head, as though that'd rid you of such indecent thoughts during the game. 'It's the decisive part of the game and here I am, thinking about how much I really wanna kiss him righ- NO, no, no, no, no! (F/n), stop that, focus on the game, the game!'

"If only I could look that hot so simply..."

When the boy on your right sent you a weird look, you figured the words had escaped your mouth; red immediately exploded on your face.

 ***Time-skip!***

"GODDAMNIT!"

You cursed loudly, running a hand through your (h/c) locks when player number 4 scored a three pointer for Seirin; they were a mere point behind Yosen. They had twenty seconds left, but if Atsushi and the rest of the team managed to intercept all of Seirin's attacks, Yosen would win even if they didn't score anymore.

"GO YOSEN!"

The little kid from before cheered, brows furrowed in sheer concentration in the match. You grinned, lightly ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, that's right, kid! GO YOSEN!"

As mentioned, the child was so focused on the game that he barely acknowledged the contact. Nonetheless, you shouted excitedly alongside him, until you noticed a different gleam in Murasakibara's purple orbs. You furrowed your brows; you could swear you saw his eyes emit a dangerous spark. 'Could he be...?'

You never got the time to ponder about it too much as the ball flew across the court into Himuro's hands, who passed to Atsushi in a matter of seconds. From the way he held the ball to how his knees bended, you were sure he was about to pull off Thor's Hammer; that would ensure Yosen's victory. A big smile surged on your lips as he jumped, closer and closer to doing a slam dunk...!

Until Kagami reached your boyfriend with amazing speed, promptly jumping and placing his hand in front of the ball.

"NO! No, no, no! ATSUSHI, YOU CAN DO IT!"

You were well aware of the fact people were eyeing you strangely, and that he probably wasn't even hearing, but in the heat of the moment, you just wanted to encourage the center to score already. By then, you'd figured he was in the Zone, that being confirmed when a look of panic crossed Kagami's features.

The redhead was struggling to hold his ground against Atsushi's raw strength.

And just when you were sure Yosen was sure to be victorious, the Iron Heart went to help Kagami, and they successfully stopped Atsushi's attack. In a fast counter-attack, Seirin's ace took a hold of the ball, and with an impressive Meteor Jam, scored for his team; they had turned the tables. 'Four seconds. They still have four seconds!' Your thought was materialized in the form of Atsushi running back to other side of the court, receiving the ball from Himuro, and preparing for a slam dunk.

However, all you could do was to watch in despair as Murasakibara's legs failed; he was too exhausted to jump, and Kuroko slapped the ball far away from his hands as the buzz sounded.

The game had ended, and Yosen had lost.

The crowd went wild along with Seirin's team, save for you and the small child next to you. His fists were clenched tightly, and tears ran down his rosy cheeks; at least you weren't the only one crying. 'We were so close...'

Atsushi's legs trembled, and you noticed how he barely managed to stand in line for the final greeting. Your eyes never left him as he exchanged words with Kiyoshi, letting his hair fall free, and while he cried, albeit half hidden behind the towel he had on his head. As soon as he disappeared from the court, you got up, heading to the restroom to get rid of any evidence of your tears; you wouldn't ever face him in that state.

After washing your face, you stood outside Yosen's locker room, waiting patiently for Atsushi to emerge from behind the metallic door. Himuro was the first one leaving, nearly knocking you out with the door.

"Oh, sorry, (F/n)..."

"It's alright, Himuro-kun... I...watched the game. You guys were amazing..."

He shot you a small smile; you never could differentiate between fake and genuine smiles when it came to him, so you just went along with it.

"Thank you. Well, I gotta go, so, see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure... Bye."

The raven haired male waved before walking off to god knows where. A little later, the rest of the team walked out as well, all munching on Umaibos. You would've laughed at their attempt to cheer up Atsushi if it wasn't for his gloomy expression. You said your half greetings to the team, and they left you and Atsushi alone.

"Hey, Atsushi-kun..."

He remained silent, his head hung low; you smiled warmly at him, wrapping your arms around his torso to comfort him – you had yet to find someone taller than the purple haired giant.

"I'm sorry... I know you did your best, and you were great! I'm proud of you..."

His big arms encaged you, and his face was buried on your (e/c) hair while he sniffed pitifully.

"But we lost, (F/n)-chin..."

You squeezed him, holding in your own tears.

"I know, Atsushi. But I'll always be proud of you, and I know you played with all you had today. So it's okay..."

He nodded, instantly getting a hold of your hand when you pulled back from the hug. With the same smile, you pulled him with you towards the exit.

"So, Atsushi, I was thinking about stopping by the convenience store on the way home, what about it?"

"Mm. Okay, (F/n)-chin."

Your smile widened; at least he was a little bit happier now. 

**~EXTENDED ENDING!~**

Atsushi decided to spend the night at your place, and you were happily devouring the food you got from the convenience store earlier, a random movie playing on Netflix.

But you just had to blurt it out.

"Atsushi-kun, you do know that you look extremely hot when you tie up your hair like that, right? I mean, I didn't realize you could look so...so sexy until today."

His lazy eyes turned to you, and stared into your soul for the longest time, making your cheeks go pink and gradually darken to a deep red. He finally averted his gaze to your wrist, where you wore a (f/c) hair fastener; he gently took your hand, sliding the elastic off your arm, only to tie up his hair in the same ponytail he had during the game.

You half expected him to look at you with his usual lazy and laid-off expression, but he turned to you with the sexiest of the smirks, purple irises glinting dangerously.

"Say, (F/n)-chin... Can you cheer me up a little more...?"

Needless to say, you nodded your head like crazy.


End file.
